On Monday, Santorum's Iowa campaign and Gov. Terry Branstad said Santorum could end up winning.

He could still be the winner in the certified count because it's eight votes difference. Its so very small that you just don't know, Branstad said.

Rick Santorum left Iowa a strong second on Jan. 3. With that big boost, Iowa supporter Chuck Laudner headed to help in South Carolina. He's watching the caucus vote counting closely from there.

It's just a matter of playing the odds. It was an eight-vote margin with, you know, some 120,000 votes cast. Anything is possible, right? Laudner said.

Branstad praised Santorum Monday by saying he campaigned here the right way.

It's not over and we'll have to see how it goes, Branstad said.

For me, it's hurry up and wait. When the results are 100 percent completed and certified that's when we will know. Until that last precinct is certified, it's all up in the air, Laudner said.

For Santorum supporters like Laudner the updates from the Iowa GOP don't contain much information. The former party chair said he understands the need to be right and wants that even more than a Santorum win.

The integrity of Iowa's first in the nation caucuses is ultimately the most important thing for the Iowa Republican party. I trust that they will get it right. If they told me it would be another week that would be all right as long as they get it right, Laudner said.

Iowa Republican party chairman Matt Strawn did not return any of our phone calls for this story.